Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. (IPCI)

[kfcyahoo]

My bad, baking powder not baking soda.

Red Cabbage-
Red cabbage is the most common natural blue food coloring here in the States. Cooked red cabbage leaves will eventually turn bluish purple if soaked in a slightly basic solution. To make a blue food dye, slice up red cabbage leaves and boil for 10-15 minutes. Strain out the cabbage, reduce the liquid until it is thick and syrupy (the cooking liquid from a whole cabbage will reduce to about a quarter of a cup. Now you have an intensely purple syrup. Add just the tiniest pinch of baking powder (you really have to go slowly here or you can turn the whole batch green). Keep adding baking soda in very small amounts until the color just turns blue. It is important to add only enough baking soda not only for the color, but for the flavor. Small amounts of baking soda have a negligible effect on taste, but add to much and it will taste terrible. Now you have a blue dye, As unappetizing as boiled cabbage and baking soda sounds, the flavor of the dye really is not that pronounced. Use it with a light touch to add blue to icings, cake batters and cookies. but remember that the color can still change. If you add it to an acidic food, it will go right back to purple.